The Railroad Museum of New England is having their seventh annual Nothern Lights Limited and Santa Express at the 1881 Thomaston Train Station, 242 East Main Street, beginning Friday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Dec. 23. Departures are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday only. Fridays departures are 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, and Sunday, departures start at noon.
Santa, Mrs. Claus and their Elves will board each train car to meet the children. There is a first class option, that will include hot cocoa and cookies, these seats are limited.
Tickets begin at $16 for children and $18 for adults. Children under 2 are free and need to be seated at all times on a parents lap.
For tickets, and more information, visit www.rmne.org.

Our featured local person in business for the month is Nancy Cruz-Hess. Nancy Cruz-Hess is a licensed insurance agent in Connecticut and a resident of Naugatuck. She represents different insurers and plans focusing on funeral and final expenses. She can also assist with services such as discount caskets, counseling, and expenses. Visit the library during the month of December to learn more about the work Nancy does and if she can be of assistance to you or someone you know. Whittemore Library will showcase a different Connecticut-based hardworking, innovative, and creative business, professional, or artisan each month. You’ll have an opportunity to reach members of the community by: Making a presentation; Leaving brochures, coupons, or information about your line of work; Putting items on display; and/or Setting up a trade-show style table. Contact Kirk Morrison at the library to discuss the possibilities of being our featured business of the month! Call Whittemore Library for more information- (203) 729-4591.

Fine Line Art Gallery is excited to host their annual holiday art and fine craft show, Miniature Masterpieces, featuring small works of art that include miniature paintings, photographs, jewelry, pottery, card collections and more!
The holiday show is exceptionally festive this year with the debut of one-of-a-kind miniature trees that have all been decorated by a gallery member and are for sale. Each tree reflects and interprets the artist’s theme of a selected piece of work or collection.
This not-to-be-missed show will take place at Fine Line Art Gallery, 319 Main Street South in Woodbury from Friday, December 2nd – 4th from 11AM – 4PM. An artists’ reception will be held on Saturday, December 3rd with refreshments being served.
For more information, please visit www.finelineartgallery.com or call 203.266.0110 Thursday through Sunday, 11AM to 4PM. Admission is free. Ample parking is available.

Award-winning Pantochino Productions Inc. brings to life the pages of L. Frank Baum’s (The Wizard of Oz) fascinating story of the life of Santa Claus. This new musical telling by Bert Bernardi and Justin Rugg chronicles Santa’s life from his humble beginnings in an enchanted forest to his toy deliveries to all the world’s children. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a sweeping saga of love, joy, peace and all things Christmas. At the Milford Center for the Arts on Railroad Avenue in Downtown Milford. Performs Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays & Sundays at 2pm. Special Saturday 5:30pm performance on December 3rd. All seats $20. online, $22. at the door. Tickets and information at www.pantochino.com

The Oxford Festival of Trees is a long standing tradition for the students at Oxford High School and culminates their creativity and enthusiasm in supporting their community.

Oxford High School students join together to support and raise funds for…

Tough for Téa
www.gofundme.com/2fw4bkwn
A New Heart for Cora
@iheartcora
www.gofundme.com/iheartcora

This year’s Candyland Village is an exciting twist on the traditional Festival of Trees. Along with decorated trees, Lollipop Lane features creatively decorated Gingerbread houses. The game COMES TO LIFE with fun characters, children’s play and craft areas, prizes, Princess Lolly, King Kandy, Mr. Mint, Frosty, and of course Santa Claus.

Everyone, young and young at heart, is encouraged to come and enjoy the 2-day holiday celebration Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th, 2016 located at Oxford High School, 61 Quaker Farms Road, Oxford, CT.

Presented by the Booster Club of Oxford High School. Get ready for a giant show of sparkling holiday trees, Gingerbread houses, designer wreaths, centerpieces, and gift baskets, holiday stage performances, visits with Santa and other fun characters, North Pole Gift Shop, and Candyland Café with pizza, hot dogs, snacks and sweets! Enjoy lunch at the Cafe on Saturday.

All the decorated trees, Gingerbread houses, wreaths, gift baskets and centerpieces are generously donated by student groups, local individuals, organizations, and businesses, and are beautifully decorated for your enjoyment. Each will be raffled off to lucky winners with proceeds supporting community causes.

A new exhibition “Hunt Slonem: Between Two Worlds” is on display through Sunday, Jan. 15 at the Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main St. Slonem’s neo-Expressionist paintings of tropical birds, butterflies and portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Abraham Lincoln brought him critical acclaim and popular recognition in the 1970s. Since, the artist has achieved the status of an art world icon. Slonem creates spectacular spaces in which his artistic vision and his art merge in an emotional sensual experience. This exhibition features the bold colors, varied textures and salon style painting installations that characterize Slonem’s aesthetic. In an exhibit where art meets design, the museum gallery has been transformed with the sophisticated work Slonem created for Lee Jofa Groundworks, including textiles and wall paper. The exhibition is supported in part by Eckert Fine Art, New York. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. Admission charges range from free to $7. For information, call 203-753-0381 or visit www.mattmuseum.org.

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The artwork of Karen K. Simmons is on display in an “Our Woods” exhibit through December at The Silo Gallery, 44 Upland Road. The Woodbury resident is exhibiting her oil paintings on canvas and linen. She studied art history and studio art at Williams College, receiving a B.A., magna cum laude. Her art has been shown in area galleries including The Gunn Library and Gallery and Good News Café in Woodbury. Simmons honed her talent through studies at Sotheby’s in London from 1978 to 1979, where she explored oil painting under Ira Barkoff and sculpture under Mary Adams and Jon Reideman. She also studied pastels at Wolf Kahn, National Art Academy in 2011 and participated in a landscape painting workshop with Eric Aho. Figure drawing, theories of color and oil painting were her concentrations at the Art Barge. The gallery is open to the public, free, Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. For information, call 860-355-0300, email to info[AT]thesiloct.org or visit www.hunthillfarmtrust.org.